Trouble Afoot
by Trekkie Lizard
Summary: She looked around, not knowing where to go. Something had gone terribly wrong, and she was in the middle of it.
1. A Little Rest and Relaxation

Author's Note: The HTML tags aren't working for me and they're making me mad. The last names at the top are supposed to be in the middle.  
  
***  
  
Tucker: Waking up in her own bed at home for a change was nice, as Liz realized that today began the first day of a week off for SG-1. She got up slowly and grabbed her pajama pants on her way towards the kitchen. She didn't really have anything planned for the day, so she figured she just hang out in the city.  
  
Just as she was fixing a bowl of cereal, her doorbell rang. Grabbing her robe, she went to see who it was.  
  
Looking through the peephole, she saw a strange person, "I don't want any."  
  
"Lt. Tucker, I need to speak with you", the person said, waiting for the door to open.  
  
"Who are you and what do you want?" she asked, not wanting to be bothered.  
  
"I'm Matthew Mallory of the Nightly News", he replied, sounding eager to enter the rented house.  
  
"What ever it is, just please go away", she told him through the door, turning away from it.  
  
"I'll be back", he promised, walking away.  
  
Glad that he was gone, she sat back down to her soggy cereal. After the first spoonful, her phone rang.  
  
"What now?" she asked no one in particular as she answered her phone, "Hello?"  
  
"Lieutenant, this is General Hammond. Meet me in the park at noon", a familiar voice told her.  
  
"Aye sir", she said, unnecessarily straightening as he hung up.  
  
She tossed her cereal in the sink and dressed in her Air Force uniform, not knowing what else to wear in front of a two-star when on vacation from work.  
  
In a matter of minutes, her calm day had gotten very busy as she put on her cap and walked out the door, locking it behind her. She climbed into her jeep, and drove out of the driveway she had arrived in only last night. She drove to the park and stepped out, looking for General Hammond.  
  
Hammond:  
He was waiting on a bench, waiting to tell Elizabeth the good news. Soon, she was in site, and he beckoned her over to the stiff seat he was on. She was in her uniform, where as he was in a comfortable shirt and slacks. He smiled proudly as she took the offered seat.  
  
"General, you called me?" she asked, getting right down to business.  
  
"Yes, I did, Elizabeth. Tomorrow, you need to report back to the mountain", he said, smiling broadly at the second lieutenant.  
  
She frowned, "But sir, we only just left the mountain last night."  
  
"I know, Elizabeth, but Colonel O'Neill and I have a surprise for you", he said, arising.  
  
"Me, sir?" she asked, not understanding.  
  
He simply nodded, heading back to his own vehicle to go back to Cheyenne Mountain. Once inside, he sat there, watching her climb into her own vehicle, looking dumbfounded, and driving away. He grinned and drove back to whence he came, the message being delivered.  
  
O'Neill:  
Jack crumpled up another piece of paper and threw it towards the overflowing wastebasket. He had been up since dawn, and still no speech for Tucker's ceremony tomorrow. He grabbed another cup of coffee and sat back down.  
  
'Today we honor a dedicated soldier, who has rightfully earned the rank of First Lieutenant', he started writing.  
  
Shaking his head, he kept writing, deciding just to say what ever comes off of his pen tip.  
  
Honestly, he was thrilled she was being promoted. She really deserved it by now. Heck, she should already be Captain! She was a great team member and friend. She was a wonderful asset to SG-1.  
  
~Hey, that sounded good...~ He thought, scribbling that down on the paper.  
  
His speech was almost done. He could finally get some good grub and get on with the day.  
  
Once he was done, he placed it into a folder and put the folder in his truck so he wouldn't forget it. He decided to go back inside and see if Teal'c was awake yet to see what he wanted for lunch.  
  
Upon arrival in front of Teal'c's door in Jack's house, Jack knocked on the wood and waited for a response from his Jaffa friend.  
  
"Come in, O'Neill", Teal'c responded from inside.  
  
Jack did so, and looked around the clean room before his brown eyes rested on his house guest.  
  
"So, what do you want for lunch?" Jack asked, smiling.  
  
"I have no preference, O'Neill; however, our friends might enjoy eating outdoors", Teal'c responded, arising.  
  
Jack stood silent for a moment before comprehending, "Oh, you want to invite the team over for a cook-out."  
  
"Is that not what I said?" Teal'c asked, arching an eyebrow.  
  
"I suppose so," Jack said under his breath, "Hey, I'll call them over, you can start setting up back there."  
  
Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement and walked out of the room. Jack picked up the phone and called them over. 


	2. Going to Jack's

Author's Note: I hope you like the story so far...  
  
***  
  
O'Neill (cont.):  
Half an hour later, the rest of the team was arriving. Daniel brought chips and dip, Liz brought some of her family's seven layer salad, and Sam brought some drinks. They set it up in the backyard of Jack's house and sat down together.  
  
Jack knew that Liz was supposed to be kept in the dark about her promotion. Man, this was going to be hard. What, then, should they toast to?  
  
Raising their miscellaneous glasses, Jack said, "To the Stargate and the SGC!"  
  
"Stargate and SGC!" the rest of them echoed, clinking glasses and tossing the liquids down their throats.  
  
Teal'c:  
Teal'c drank the glass of water quickly and poured himself some more. He was aware that they were not permitted to tell Lt. Tucker of her promotion. He was good at keeping secrets, so that would be no problem for him. He was glad that she was being promoted for her work that she did so well and diligently.  
  
He was never really one for speeches, but when the occasion arose, he just spoke from his heart. That was what he planned to do at the ceremony. He was aware of Colonel O'Neill stressing over paper at a desk to figure out what to say.  
  
The food was good, especially this 'seven layer salad' that Tucker brought. She had mentioned that it was a family recipe passed down through the generations. He felt comfortable in the presence of his friends and fellow team members.  
  
Carter:  
Keeping secrets was nothing new for Sam Carter, but she didn't like keeping secrets from team mates, even if it was for a good cause. Once they were done eating, everything was cleaned up quickly.  
  
None of them had to go to the base until later, and they didn't really have anything else to do. What would one do on their time off from a secret Air Force facility? Of course, they would most likely just hang out together.  
  
"Hey Jack, got any good movies?" Sam asked, not really knowing what to do.  
  
Jack shrugged, "I think we've seen just about my entire collection."  
  
"What about a game?" Liz asked.  
  
"You have something particular in mind?" Jack asked, smiling at the newest addition to his team.  
  
She smiled also, "Do you have some cards?"  
  
"Of course", Jack commented like it was a stupid question.  
  
"Well, how about a friendly game of war?" She smiled, knowing she was the war champion.  
  
Teal'c arched an eyebrow, "What is this ...war?"  
  
They all smiled and offered to show him how to play. 


	3. Another Visit

Author's Note: I hope you like my story. I can tell you now, this one is going to be good, and the next one great!  
  
***  
  
Tucker:  
After playing war for awhile and winning, Liz went back home. It was late and she ate a frozen meal for supper. As she was changing into a long t-shirt for bed, someone knocked on her door.  
  
Walking into her living room towards her door, she opened it. Her head dropped as she saw who it was.  
  
"Mr. Mallory, I already told you once, I don't want any. Please just leave me alone or I will contact the authorities." She almost ordered.  
  
His head dropped slightly, "Lt. Tucker, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. Please allow me to speak with you."  
  
Not wanting to talk with reporters, she figured she'd let this one in and maybe he'd go away. Moving back, she let him inside and they sat in her living room.  
  
She didn't want to drag this out, "Spill it."  
  
Shifting, he looked up at her, "The NID has been up to no good lately."  
  
~What else is new? ~ She thought silently, trying to appear like she had no idea of whom he meant; "Now look, if you're going to waste my time, you know where the door is."  
  
"I know you know who I mean, ma'am. They have another operative within the SGC", He looked around cautiously.  
  
She shook her head, "I have no idea who you are talking about, Mr. Mallory, now please leave my home if you do not have anything pressing to say to me."  
  
He persisted, "This operative has been going through the Stargate with teams under Major General Hammond's command. He's bringing things and information back to the NID."  
  
She rolled her eyes, "Even if I was supposed to believe any of this, why you are telling me? Can you tell me who this supposed 'mole' is with whatever a SGC and a NID are?"  
  
"No, ma'am," he paused, looking down, "my people don't know who the leak is yet. I was hoping that you could secretly look for them yourself."  
  
"Look, buddy, I don't know what you are talking about, or what you mean. I don't really care for you being in my house and rambling on like that. Now please get out!" She stood pointing towards the door.  
  
As he walked over to the door and opened it, a shot just barely missed him. She pulled him back into the house and grabbed her Beretta.  
  
"Did anyone follow you here?" She asked, peeking through the blinds.  
  
He shook his head, "I don't think so. Not unless the NID have been following me to take me out."  
  
She grabbed his hand and took a pen out of his pocket, "Stay here," she paused, finishing a telephone number and giving him the pen back, "call this number on a cell phone. They might have tapped the lines. Tell whoever answers what you have told me and tell them the Lt. Tucker has gone after them; also request backup at my house."  
  
He nodded silently and looked at his hand. Pulling out his cell phone slowly, he glanced up at her briefly.  
  
"Hurry it up", she walked out, crouching down.  
  
O'Neill:  
Pulling up outside of Tucker's house, he heard shots ring out. She had forgotten her seven layer salad bowl, and he was bringing it back to her.  
  
Stepping out of his vehicle a block away, he pulled his Beretta and went to see what was going on. He could see someone come out of Tucker's door, but he could see much more once they shut the door.  
  
He aimed carefully and was ready to shoot anything that moved. Suddenly, though, there were sirens of a police car driving by and the people outside of his team member's house sped off in their vehicles.  
  
Walking back to his vehicle, he stuffed his gun away and grabbed the bowl. He then proceeded into the house to see if she was alright.  
  
Mallory:  
He had been too frightened to actually dial the number Lt. Tucker had entrusted him with. He just sat there with the cell phone in one hand, and the other covered in ink.  
  
He heard the door open again and he ducked behind the couch.  
  
"Mallory, get out here. They were scared off", the lieutenant announced.  
  
Coming from around the couch, he breathed a sigh of relief that she was alright. But then, a dark shadowy figure approached her steps and he hid again.  
  
"Tucker, are you in there?" The shadow called.  
  
"Yes, sir, come on in, the door's open." She called back, walking over to the cowering Mallory.  
  
Col. O'Neill walked in and Michael immediately recognized him from his records, "I brought your salad back, sorry if I interrupted anything."  
  
She pointed at the counter as she sat down slowly on her couch, "Thank you sir. Can you please have Hammond put a guard on my house and take this man to a secure location so I can sleep without being shot at?"  
  
Raising an eyebrow, O'Neill turned, "Umm, sure lieutenant."  
  
"Don't ask until morning, sir. I'll explain everything then", she told her superior.  
  
He nodded and escorted Mallory away, allowing Tucker to fall asleep at last. 


	4. Going to the Mountain

Author's Note: I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out; it just took me some time to get over a bad hump of writer's block in the middle of this chapter. I hope you like what I have so far!  
  
***  
  
Tucker: Waking up on her couch, Liz stretched carefully. She walked over to her kitchen and realized that her coffee had gone cold in the night. She knew she needed some way of waking up more before changing.  
  
She took a steaming hot shower and climbed into an old Air Force tee shirt and some jeans. She picked up her dress uniform to drop off at the dry cleaners after this 'surprise'.  
  
Grabbing her jean jacket and purse as she left the house, she carefully looked around to make sure no one was waiting for her. Happy with her findings, she got into her jeep and started driving towards the base.  
  
Hammond:  
Everything was ready in the Embarkation Room, and all the officers and non-coms had their dress uniforms on. George paced back and fourth, waiting for her to pop in, reporting for the 'surprise'.  
  
Mr. Mallory was brought to the mountain, and George had him placed in a cell to wait until this was over. Then he would deal with him. Jack said Elizabeth didn't tell him anything, but he understood that she was simply tired. Oh what a surprise this would be for her.  
  
Tucker:  
She turned onto the road that would lead straight to the mountain. She thought she saw someone closing in behind her, but ignored it as some speed-devil just out for a joyride.  
  
The winding road seemed to be taking forever to travel along. The car appeared to be getting closer to her. All of the sudden, there was another car ahead of her. She slammed on her breaks, but it was too late.  
  
The clash of metal on metal and person to wheel seemed to be seamless poetry. The airbag helped cushion the blow, but her body was still flung forward against the straps of leather. Groaning, she leaned back slowly and got out of the vehicle.  
  
She looked around, not knowing where to go. Something had gone terribly wrong, and she was in the middle of it. Was the crash her fault? Walking up to the car she had hit, she didn't even notice the other car was undamaged.  
  
Looking inside, she was puzzled. There was no one inside it. Glancing down the hill, there was no one there either, so she started back to her jeep to see if she could get it to work.  
  
Right before she made it back to the door of her navy blue jeep, she heard something behind her. Reaching for her weapon, she spun around to meet a fist.  
  
O'Neill:  
Pacing slowly, he knew it was not like Tucker to be late to anything, especially if the general himself had called her. Walking up to Daniel, the other man could easily read his expression.  
  
"I'm worried too, Jack. It's not like Liz to be late", Jackson said, shrugging.  
  
Nodding in agreement, Jack went to speak with the big man himself. Something must be wrong, or else she wouldn't be so late.  
  
"Sir", Jack complained, walking quickly up to General Hammond.  
  
Hammond raised a hand, "I know, Jack, she's late."  
  
"Request permission..." Jack started, but the older man seemed to be on the same track.  
  
"Granted, find out what you can from our guest", Hammond shoed Jack away.  
  
Walking down to the holding cell, the man inside, claiming to be Michael Mallory of some news organization, was sipping on some water.  
  
Jack walked up to the water and snatched it from his hands, "Spill it."  
  
Shaking some water off of his hands, Mallory sighed, "It looks like you already did."  
  
"Where is she?" Jack demanded.  
  
He was going to get answers from this...newscaster. Why had there been shooting the night before? Why had Mallory looked so frightened? Why in the world would Tucker request backup at her house in the middle of the night? There was definitely something to this story that this guy wasn't letting on to, and Jack was going to find out what it was directly from the horse's mouth. 


	5. The Search for Tucker

O'Neill cont.:  
After an hour of talking with him, he finally got word of three letters that were enough to boil his blood, NID. Backing off of the frightened newscaster, Jack told his findings to General Hammond.  
  
A few minutes later, SG-1 mobilized to go find their friend and possibly get her away from the NID. What would they want with her anyways? Ransom? It was unlike the NID to take someone without a good reason; but you never know with the NID.  
  
Tucker:  
Waking up, Elizabeth Tucker found herself in a dark room. Looking around, she couldn't see anything, and for a small moment she wondered if she was blind. As she thought that, however, a door opened and the bright light hurt her eyes. A small tray slid across the floor and the door was slammed again.  
  
Yawning, she found her face to be extremely sore, and then it all started slowly coming back to her; the cars on the road, the sounds behind her, and the fist that greeted her when she spun around.  
  
She wondered if she really had caused that wreck. Then another idea came to her, what if the NID caused it, and are now holding her. But that didn't make since, what would they want with her? She didn't do anything to them.  
  
Crawling over to the tray, she could feel some food on it. She found herself to be really hungry, so she ate the food and drank on the water bottle. She didn't stop one minute to think if it was poison or not, it was just a simple sandwich.  
  
Another thought came to her, what if this Mallory fellow was right? What if he did know something about the NID? Then that could explain all this, they might think that she knew what Mallory knew.  
  
She ached all over. Her head, her back, her shoulders were all sore. She knew that if she was late, that Jack would start a search party for her, because she was never late. She thanked herself for always being so prompt through her life. Now all that was left to do was sit and wait for her captors to come in and interrogate her.  
  
Jackson:  
Seeing Jack finally come out of that room, Daniel noticed that he had a deep frown on his face. He looked like he had just received some seriously bad news.  
  
"What's wrong?" Daniel dared to ask his commanding officer.  
  
Jack sighed heavily, "NID."  
  
At first, Daniel was confused, but then he understood. Reporters, where do they get their stories these days? At any rate, it was obvious that the NID now had Liz. The only question was what this guy had on them that could make them so angry to go to great lengths to cover their assets.  
  
Hammond:  
Looking up from his desk, he saw Daniel holding back in the doorway with Teal'c and Sam as Jack stormed up to the general's work area.  
  
"Yes, Jack, you can go look for her", George replied before Jack had a chance to make the request.  
  
Saluting, Jack left with his team. George knew that Jack would go to great lengths for his team mates, and he found it best not to argue with him anymore. George also knew that SG-1 was the best team to go looking for her, because the old general wanted her back just as much as Jack did.  
  
O'Neill:  
Going to the nearest NID agent, Jack called in a few favors with Maybourne, his least favorite person on Earth. He was determined to find Liz with or without Maybourne's help. But with his help, he'd have a better chance at finding her quickly.  
  
Luckily for his safety, Maybourne agreed to help. He took them to an old facility that was near Cheyenne Mountain. Looking around it, there appeared to be recent activity. Sure enough, Jack found Liz's crushed Jeep.  
  
Sneaking in, they started securing the place and looking for Liz. They needed to find her so she could be promoted. Besides, who knows what these cruel NID agents would do to her, given the chance. 


	6. Receiving

Author's Note: I hope you have enjoyed this so far. It's nearing an end. Please be sure to get your comments in.  
  
Tucker:  
A voice boomed overhead, "What did Mallory tell you?"  
  
"Who are you? What do you want with me?" Liz shot back.  
  
The voice grew, sounding angrier, "Well will ask the questions. What did Mallory tell you?"  
  
Liz shifted slightly, she was still sore from the crash. She didn't want to be asked this mess about Mr. Mallory, whoever or whatever he really was. She just wanted nothing to do with these bloody people.  
  
"Nothing, he didn't get the chance to tell me anything", Liz replied truthfully.  
  
The voice went deeper, "You will tell me what I want to know, Lieutenant. What did Mallory---?"  
  
The voice cut out, surprising Liz. Then, the most comforting voice she could think of, came over the speaker, she almost thought it to be a trick.  
  
"Tucker, this is Colonel O'Neill. We're here to get you out, just sit tight", Jack told her over the speaker in the room.  
  
She smiled softly, confident that it was indeed her superior. Soon, she saw the search party come in, and check her out; she was so happy that she was rescued, because these people were seriously beginning to annoy her.  
  
"You alright?" Jack asked; a worried look in his wise eyes.  
  
Liz smiled, "Of course I am, I'm just sore from the car wreck. Let's get back to the mountain. I want to see what this important matter was about."  
  
Shaking his head softly, O'Neill could only smile. He took her back to Cheyenne Mountain for the special surprise that they had been planning for her.  
  
Walking in, Liz was now wearing her dress uniform, because Jack had talked her into changing. Arriving at the base of the Stargate, she wondered what all these people were doing here.  
  
"Second Lieutenant Elizabeth Tucker, thank you for finally joining us. Today has been a standard day up till this point," General Hammond began, pausing to smile at Liz, "But this is where it changes into a special day. First Lieutenant Elizabeth Tucker, congratulations on your promotion."  
  
George Hammond placed the ranks on Liz's collar with a large smile on his face. Shocked, she smiled back. Colonel O'Neill walked up to the podium once the general had taken a step back.  
  
"First off, I'd like to say congratulations to a wonderful woman and a brilliant teammate..." Jack began, only to be cut off rudely.  
  
"Incoming wormhole", the sergeant watching the computers announced as the Stargate began to spin.  
O'Neill: Everyone in the room hit the deck for protection from the mushrooming matter that was about to stretch out before receding into the pool known as the 'event horizon'. Once it was formed, a little piece of paper flew out, and it was disengaged.  
  
Picking up the paper, Jack read it aloud, "We, the Laknees, know of a group called 'SG-1'. We are requesting assistance for our planet from these experts. Please hurry. We are under..."  
  
"What's the rest of the message, Jack?" Hammond asked quickly, arising from the ground and brushing himself off.  
  
"It's torn off, but there's a 'gate address on the back." Jack commented, waiting for the go to proceed with the new mission that landed on their doorstep.  
  
"It's a go, give the address to the sergeant and get your team ready." George permitted them to go. 


	7. We have Incoming

Author's Note: Last chapter, I hope you enjoy. Remember to continue reading in this saga in the next story, "Returning Home".  
  
O'Neill cont.:  
"Let's go, people", he announced at the end of the ramp, once they had all arrived.  
  
The newly promoted First Lieutenant was smiling proudly and yet not as brightly as she could be. Daniel fixed his glasses on his nose firmly before he'd step through. T was just standing there, as he always was; and Sam looked a bit anxious for this mission.  
  
As soon as they stepped through to the other side, they were pinned down by fire at the gate. This seemed to happen a lot to them. They'd go in to help, and barely make it out alive.  
  
Being the first one through, Liz was taken down with enemy fire and she couldn't pull her weapon out to defend herself in time. Teal'c, being next, shot down many people with his staff weapon, although no one really knew who the enemies were and who the people they were supposed to be protecting were.  
  
Daniel and Sam were next, with Jack bringing up their six as the event horizon dissipated. Jack peppered them with his weapon as Daniel immediately went for his handgun to help.  
  
Carter:  
Running over to the downed First Lieutenant, Sam sighed softly as she began to access the situation. She had to see if her friend was fatally injured, or if she'd just gotten winged. Looking down and ignoring the gunfire, Carter realized how bad Tucker's wounds were. She wasn't going to make it. Even though they'd all been wearing their gear, she still managed to be hit...bad.  
  
"Just...my luck," Tucker was saying, "...that the...day I get...promoted...I get shot."  
  
Her expression changed, realizing the look on Sam's face, "How bad...is it?"  
  
"Save your breath. It's bad, but if we can get back, you might be alright." Sam commented, trying to get her friend to cheer up.  
  
"Cut the crap, ma'am." Liz smiled, knowing what Carter was up to.  
  
They both knew she wasn't going to make it.  
  
Jackson:  
Once the smoke form the battle had cleared, he realized that he'd come out unscathed. How that happened, he'd never really know. Staring across the field, he could see that there were some fair-skinned people coming; probably the Laknees. Glancing down, he saw Sam hovering over a very limp-looking Tucker, and he immediately knew what had happened. She was dead, killed in this ambush.  
  
"We are sorry for your loss." The tall people said, coming up to them, a few of them carrying Liz away.  
  
"Thank you for your help, kind ones." They said, waving.  
  
The next thing Daniel remembered was waking up in the infirmary. Remembering only that they had lost Tucker in an ambush, and not remembering the people of that world. 


End file.
